Apparatus for soldering cans



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

U. A. WOODBURY.

Apparatus for Soldering Cans. No. 240,216. Patented April 12,1881.

IN 17 Q L 3 3 y 6- 1' C t I r G- H j IIII/I/IIIIIA 'IIIIIA'II PETERS. PMOTa-UTHOGRAFNER, WAsmNGTON. D c.

(Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2.

U. A. WOODBURY. Apparatus for Soldering Gans.. No. 240,216. Patented April 12,1881.

N-PETERS, PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URBAN A. WOODBURY, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

APPARATUS FOR SOLDERING CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 246,216, dated April 12,1881.

Application filed February 16, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, URBAN A. WOODBURY,

of Burlington, in the county ofOhittenden and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatuses for Soldering Oans; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for soldering cans, and is specially designed for sealing cans while in a vacuum; and it consists in the combination, with a cone, in or under which the can is placed to have the air exhausted, of a vessel for holding solder, an inclosing-case, a lamp for melting the solder, and a suitable vertically-moving hollow piston-rod inside of which is placed a valve, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to seal the airhole in the top of the can or other vessel after the can has been filled with fruit or any subv stance which is liable to decay, and the air exhausted from the can while the can is still in a vacuum, and thus prevent all liability of air getting into the can after the air has once been exhausted.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the operating parts, showing them in a different position. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the vessel for holding solder. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the can-holder having a block placed insideof it, for raising a small can upward. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of modifications of my invention.

A represents the base upon which the can is to be placed, and His the cone under which the can is placed for the purpose of having its air exhausted after it has been filled with fruit, vegetables, or any other perishable articles which are liable to decay while in contact with the atmosphere. This cone will be preferably held stationary, while the can-seat will be made vertically movable. Screwed into the top of this cone is the vessel 0, in which the solder is placed, and this vessel is (ModeL) inclosed in a suitable casing, D, as shown. All around the top of this vessel 0 is made a flange, E, and around the lower portion of the vessel is made a flange, F, which extends only partially around the vessel, as shown. The upper flange, E, just fills the inside of the inclosing-case, while the lower flange,F, extends but partially around the vessel inside of the inclosing-case, and serves to prevent the heat from the lamp Gror gas-jet from rising directly upward along the side of the vessel as soon as it passes through the opening H, made in the lower end of the inclosing-case.

An alcohol-lamp will preferably be used for the purpose of melting the solder in the vessel 0; but any other means of melting the solder may be used. The flamefrom this lamp passes into the inclosing-case, and, being prevented from rising directly upward by the flange which extends partially around the bottom of the vessel G, passes across underneath the vessel, and then rises up upon the other side, where there is no flange to interfere with its upward movement. Through the bottom of this inclosing-case is made a series of holes, I, so as to feed oxygen to the flames and insure a perfect combustion, and through the upper portion of the case, just under the flange upon the top of the vessel, is made another series of holes, to allow the heated air and smoke to escape. The solder having been placed in this vessel and thelamplighted,the solderis quickly melted, and is kept in a fluid state, ready for use at any moment, as long as the lamp is lighted.

Passing down through the opening in the bottom of the vessel O is the hollow copper soldering-tube J, which is connected to the operating-lever K at its upper end. Around the upper end of this tube is made a suitable flange or collar, L, and passed over the lower end of this tube and fastened at any suitable point between the two ends is the cross-piece N,and in between this cross-piece and the collar at the top of the tube is placed asuitable spring, 0, for the purpose of holding the tube in a proper position and raising it upward as soon as the lever is released.

Inside of the solderin g-tubeis placed a valverod, P, which, instead of playing up and down with the soldering-tube, is held stationary by the pin Q, which passes through the crosspiece and through the slots R, made in opposite sides of the soldering-tube. When the soldering-tube is raised up to the full extent that the slots through its sides will allow, its lower end passes down into the neck, which projects from the lower end of the vessel 0 sufficiently far to prevent any solder from leaking out from the vessel. Through this tube, at a suitable distance abovefits lower end, is made a hole, S, through which the melted solder passes and fills the recess T, which is made in the side of the valve, so as to seal the valve hermetically, and thus prevent any air from passing down through the soldering-tube into the top of the cone. This melted solder fills the recess which is made in the side of the valve-rod and acts as a packing to prevent all leakage of air at any time. Through one or more parts of the lower end of the tube is made a hole or holes, T, through which the melted solderis to pass down into the top of the cone and upon the top of the can contained therein whenever the soldering-tube is depressed sufficiently by the operating-lever to have the holes in the lower end of the ,tube move below the end of the valve-rod. These holes are so arranged that the solder passes into them against the valve-rod while the soldering-tube is raised upward to its full height, and then when the solderingtube is depressed, and these holes pass down into the neck of the vessel 0, these holes carry down with them a definite amount of solder, which is dropped down upon the can as soon asthe soldering-tube is depressed far enough to have these holes pass down below the end of the valve-rod. There may be one, two, or more of these holes, according to the amount of solder that may be desired, and by increasing or decreasing the number of holes the exact amount of solder, and no more, is always deposited upon the top of the can, and in the precise spot where it is needed. These holes and the movement of the soldering-tube are so regulated that just as the soldering-tube touches or is about to touch the top of the can this solder is dropped upon the can, and thus the distance that the solder is to drop is controlled.

Through the valve-rod, just opposite the slots which are made through opposite sides of the soldering-tube, is made a series of holes, through which the pin Q can be passed, and by this means the distance which the tube will have to move before the lower end of the rod unseals the solder-holes is regulated in proportion to the size of the can which is being sealed. The lower end of the soldering-tube being heated by the lamp or gas-jet at the same time that the solder is melted, the tube is always sufficiently hot, not only to prevent the solder which is run into the holes from becoming cold, but hot enough to melt solder at any time when it comes in contact with it on the top of the can, and the heat of this tube prevents the solder from cooling before it strikes the can, and at the same time heats the metal of the can-cover, so as to enable the solder to form a perfect union with it. This tube may remain in contact with the top of the can any desired length of time, and serve as aguide to direct the melted solder directly upon the hole which is to be closed, and thus alwaysin sures that when the solder is dropped it will hermetically seal the can. After the soldering-tube has remained in contact with the top of the can sufficiently long to heat it, so that a perfect fusion will take place between the solder aud the can-top, the operating-lever is released, when the spring causes the soldering-tube to rise upward, leaving the solder in position upon the hole that is to be sealed, and thus allows the solder time to cool before the air-valve is opened, which allows the air to again enter the cone.

If so preferred, the valve may be operated by means of a lever of its own, as shown in Fig. 5. In this case the lever a, made out of elastic material, or a rigid rod, which is pivoted or hinged to a suitable support, is pivoted to the upper end of the valve 1?. When a can is to be sealed the lever K is depressed, so that the lower end of the tool J will rest upon the top of the can and heat it, and then the valve P is raised upward by means of its lever to, so as to allow the solder to run through the holes T. The tool J can be depressed the full length of the slot It, and then the valve can be raised the length of the slot 1", that is made through it. By means of thus providing both the soldering-tube J and the valve 1? each with a lever of its own, the solder can then be dropped whenever itis desired, instead of automatically, as above described. 'Where this valve-rod P is operated by a lever, to, of its own, the holes T through the soldering-tube J will be made sufliciently far above its lower end to open inside of the soldering-chamber G. YVhen the solder-tube J is depressed so as to rest upon the top of the can, and then when the valve P is raised by means of its lever a, the solder will run down into the tube as long as the valve is held raised upward. By this means any desired quantity of solder can be dropped upon the top of the can.

This apparatus may be used equally as well where the solder-tool is made solid instead of hollow, as is here shown, and the melted solder will then, as before, form an air-tight packing for the rod, so as to prevent the admission of the air into the top of the cone and keep the rod hot enough to melt a piece of solder when it comes in contact with it. "Where this tool J is made of a solid copper rod, a small piece of solder will be placed in position upon the top of the can before it is placed under the cone, and the air exhausted therefrom, and

then the solid copper rod J will be pressed I down upon the solder c and melt it as it lies upon the hole on the can-cover. Any one of the three methods above described may be used, as they are all three but modifications of one another, and I do not therefore limit myself to any precise construction or arrangement of the parts, as these may be varied at will without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In order to provide for cans of all sizes, the holder is made in the shape of a cup, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and upon the top of the outturned edges is placed a suitable packing for the purpose of forming an air-tightjoint with the lower edge of the cone B. Should the can belarge enough to nearlyfill the cone, as shown in Fig. 1, the soldering-tube will descend upon its top; but in case the can should not be of a proper height, then the can-holder may have blocks placed inside of it, as shown by dotted lines, so as to raise the can up the required distance. Should the can be very small, a large block, Z, having arecess in its top to receive the can, will be placed in the holder, and thus raise the can upward.

Having. thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an apparatus for soldering cans, the combination of a can-support, a cone, B, a solder-vessel secured to the top of the cone, an inclosing-case for the solder-vessel, and a heating device with a vertically moving solderingtool, substantially as shown.

2. In an apparatus for soldering cans, the combination of a can-support, a cone, B, a soldering-vessel provided with a flange, F,,and secured to top of cone, a perforated inclosingcase, D, a heating device, and avertically-movin g soldering-tool, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for soldering cans, the combination of a vessel for holding solder secured to the top of the cone B, a means for melting the solder, a vertically-movin g soldering-tube provided with holes T, and a valve for controlling the holes, substantially as set forth.

4- The combination, in an apparatus for s01- dering cans, of a vessel for holding solder, a means for melting the solder, a vertically-moving tube, a valve, P, and an exhausting-cone, the tube being provided with a hole, S, and the valve with a recess, T, whereby the air is prevented from entering the cone, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a vessel for holding solder,a vertically-moving soldering-tube provided with the holes T and the slots R, the valve P and the means for sealing it, support N, pin Q, spring 0, and operating-lever, substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

URBAN A. WOODBURY. Witnesses:

W. H. KERN,

A. O. KISKADDEN. 

